How We Organize Our Photo Tours

Harry Fisch

65% of our customers have traveled on our Photo Tours more than once. Many of them three or more times! They take advantage of our years of investment in local research, handpicking hotels, looking for interesting places to visit, struggling to create the proper contacts .

THE MOST INCREDIBLE DESTINATIONS AND PEOPLE PHOTOGRAPHY.

India, China, Nepal, Ethiopia, Mongolia, Cuba, Peru and many more…We specialize in people photography and exotic destinations with a strong visual appeal .

When I design and organize photo tours at Nomad Photo Expeditions, I always keep in mind the main reason for all our efforts : to do our most and accomplish the dream of the photographers who accompany us in the destinations.

The photographic experience and the personal experience must be unique, pleasant and unforgettable.

And this is exactly what we try to achieve: incredible destinations, great locations within the destinations, interesting subjects and places, the best photographic support and a positive day to day atmosphere. All this together with nice lodging and food…

The photographic experience and the personal experience must be unique, pleasant and unforgettable.

IT’S ABOUT WHERE BUT -MOST OF ALL- IT’S ABOUT WHAT.

Just being in Paris doesn’t guarantee you get to know Paris, just like being in Varanasi, New Delhi or Ulaan Baatar, doesn’t guarantee you get to know the places.

Far more than the importance of the destination itself is finding the interesting themes and subjects in each location.

You need to know what is authentic or of genuine photographic interest and what isn’t, and you need, of course, a solid connection to the locals.

All our on site previous work is focused to reach a situation where we can create photos of extraordinary interest with a certain degree of intimacy, in a relatively photographically unspoiled space.

Only after years of photographic experience on the ground do you get to know a locale’s special feeling, out of the way places, and how to make ties with the people who live there as well as with their reality.

Each itinerary and each photo tour as been designed taking advantage of the personal “on site” experience and pinpointing new photo opportunities on each of the successive visits to the same region: not only the stops of course and what is in each stop, but the people, the day to day places, the events, how we reach a special location, have we access to a “real” and hidden local spot.

It is not a sum of visits and locales, one shouldn’t treat it like collecting clichés and postcards. Even after having being there several times, I carefully analyze each itinerary to see what the new photo opportunities offer for the next trip to the place.

We have travelers of all ages and all levels: from casual hobbyists to pros; there are no two people who are the same, who have the same way of viewing reality, nor realizing a story via a camera lens

Everything revolves around the schedule. Where we sleep, what time we leave, how we get to places.

THE SCHEDULE.

Everything revolves around the schedule. Where we sleep, what time we leave, how we get places. Many times it is more convenient to stay in one location for two straight days to allow everyone to take quality photos and correct any problems we may find. A good location is key, it allows us to form actual relationships with the locals, and helps us better our focus, or experiment with other points of view.

THE SIZE AND STYLE OF THE GROUP.

We put together small groups, between 7 and 10 people at the most, which I keep small in order to fit in all of the special interests of each participant.

About 70 % of our trips are Photo Tours, and about 30 % are workshops. On a photo tour we spend about 90% of our photo time taking photos, and about 10% on analyzing them and honing our vision.

We strive to approach to each and every one of the participants in an individual capacity, and their needs vary greatly: some are concerned with technique, others with how to approach human subjects, and almost all of them with their personal approach to the artistic element of photography.

So, for these fundamental reasons, we keep the groups small.

We work on how to tell the story we see in front of our eyes, and how to convey an emotion through our pictures.

THE HOTELS.

Our priority, when choosing accommodation, is to give you proximity to the desired photographic location and contact with local people. With a few exceptions, we stay at well-placed hotels that allow us to reach the area of photography in a short time, and have good amenities, such as that have private bathrooms, air conditioning and/or fans. You can have a look to some of our activities with Nomad clients here.

It will be predominantly 4 Stars Hotels and Boutique Hotels. Every now and then we could be staying in a 3 Stars Hotel due to the difficulty of finding a better lodging or as a result of the distance between the town we are staying and the event of festivity we are attending.

THE TUTORING.

Much of the style of the tutoring on our trips is focused on the analysis of the work needed to create a picture: what can be relevant to a scene, how to establish the plot of the photograph, how to guide the eye of the viewer, create a rhythm and a direction for the photograph.

THE EMOTIONAL CONNECTION.

At the photo tours with Nomad Photo Expeditions, we work on how to tell the story we see in front of our eyes, and how to convey an emotion through our pictures. We all need stories in order to understand the world, and travel photographers more than anybody else.

Empathy and emotional connection are imperative in a good picture; we need both to bring to life a main character who the viewers will attach to.

THE PHOTOGRAPHER.

On a photo tour, the quality, capacity and the positive attitude of the lead photographer is essential in assuring a good experience.

The photographer that leads a Nomad Photo Tour knows that his attention should always first be on the client; the client/photographer always takes priority.

It’s difficult to learn from someone who has no real mastery over the material they are going to impart. In the case of a photo tour, the important thing is the capacity of the Lead not only to orient the participants, but also to help and tutor them if they feel the need.

Harry Fisch, polyglot and originally a lawyer and businessman, has been a photographer for more years than he cares to remember. He has photographically documented more than 27 countries through which he has traveled, concentrating since 2002, on Asia, especially Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Nepal and India.

Winner of the 2012 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTO CONTEST, and later disqualified, he has also been a finalist in the 2013 SONY WORLD PHOTO AWARDS and selected in 2010 by Photoespaña—possibly the most prestigious Spanish photographic event—in the section “Discoveries”. His work has been published among other photography magazines in “La lettre de la photographie”, which was nominated best Blog of 2011 by the prestigious magazine LIFE.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Travel arrangements, logistics, stocks, supports and all aspect of insurance, in accordance with current spanish legislation, as all related to the activity of the Travel Agent is sole responsability of Trekking y Aventure, Official Travel Agency No. c.i.ma 1038. Nomad Photo Expeditions is a brand that belongs to Elite Line SL, a company based in Madrid, Spain. Marqués de Urquijo, 30.